


life, so precious

by lenardo_09



Series: Cryptage Week - 2020 [4]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26823202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lenardo_09/pseuds/lenardo_09
Summary: Elliott gets a call at three in the morning.
Relationships: Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Series: Cryptage Week - 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943077
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	life, so precious

**Author's Note:**

> Me and a friend (@catcorgii on Twitter) decided we'd do a collaboration for the last day of Cryptage week. We came up with a concept and we'll do our respective takes on it. Go check theirs out!!! They're super talented and great and I adore them. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!!!

When Elliott received a panicked phone call from Park, he didn't really know what to expect. He couldn't decipher much from the phone call itself, the hacker’s heavy breaths and English to Korean statements making it hard to know what exactly was happening, but he all he knew was: he needed to get his ass up, get dressed, and  _ go.  _

He threw on yesterday’s clothes, only taking a moment to think about how they smelled, before bolting out the door and making his way over to Park’s place. 

The man liked his privacy, and everyone respected him. No one really knew where he lived, and no one bothered asking; the only one privy to such knowledge was one Elliott Witt, who had the address memorized by now and knew just about every shortcut he could take. 

It was ten minutes before he reached the man’s home—it never seemed like a home, not to Elliott, always so dark, dreary, and absent of things that made a home a home—not bothering to knock. 

He made his way inside and immediately moved upstairs. He found the hacker outside of his room, pacing back and forth, with tear streaks down his cheeks. Elliott knows, just from that, that something’s terribly wrong. Park isn't one for spontaneous sobbing, not unless nightmares plagued his sleep. When that happened, Elliott found him in the kitchen, trying to keep awake by drinking as much coffee as he could. It usually resulted in the hacker crashing hard and Elliott having to carry him back to bed. 

Slowly but surely, Elliott was helping him lean on the trickster more, making it so he feels comfortable enough to call him for help when he's in a state of panic. Slowly, he was healing. 

It was progress, Elliott noted, that Park even bothered calling him, especially so late at night. The hacker hated being an inconvenience, knowing they both suffer from horrible insomnia that can keep them awake for days if they're not attentive. 

Immediately, Elliott moved to gingerly grab his arms, fingers carefully wrapped around his triceps. 

“Hey, hey, you okay?” the trickster asked, just a little out of breath, since he'd run up to and through Park's place. 

“No, no…” He shook his head, a fresh set of tears being squeezed from clenched eyes. “I-I woke up because I heard her making noise, so I went to check, and she kept making noise—she sounds in pain and I-I don't know what to do…” At least he was comprehensible this time around, which implied he was just a little more calm now that Elliott was here. “I d-didn't know who to call…”

“Okay, all right. I can help—I-I think.”

Elliott momentarily lets the hacker go and moves to the hacker’s room. Immediately, he can hear Park’s cat meowing, a bit haunting in a sense. She sounds in pain, and the trickster moves to shut the door to prevent the sound from reaching the technician, to prevent him from falling into panic further. 

As Elliott attempted to calm his poor cat, Park remained outside, trying to breathe and calm himself. He had never heard his cat make such noises. She could be loud, sure, and he's grown accustomed to that, but she's never sounded to be in such agony. 

Mila had loved the cat. She was a stray, just getting by on whatever food she could scrounge up—until Mila and Tae Joon came across her one day, gave her a bath and food, gave her a home. Mila shoved most of the responsibility onto her foster brother, made him look after her and kept her in his room. They never got to name her. Their lives were ruined the following day, everything gone and burned away. 

She was a remnant of what he lost, a memory of happy times. Park didn't know if he'd be able to get over her if she had died. 

It took awhile for Elliott to come back out, pushing the door open slowly and flashing the hacker a smile that, frankly, immediately helped him calm down. 

“Hey babe, come in.” His voice was low, quiet, and Park didn't hear any pained meows accompanying it. Good signs. 

Elliott moves so Park can come inside, anxiously entering and seeing where his cat was laying. She was where she had been before, laying in her kitty bed and looking a lot more relaxed, perhaps even tired, but accompanying her was four kittens. 

“Just looks like she was pregnant,” Elliott said, moving to stand next to the hacker, door shut behind him. “It took me an emba—embi—ember— _ embarrassingly _ long time to realize what was happening, but she did okay—she's okay.”

The technician slowly approached the new family, kneeling down and simply watching, Elliott following right after him. They didn't get too close, just in case she was protective of her new kittens. Park didn't blame her—he felt compelled to protect the tiny, mewling creatures.

He's quiet for a long time now, so much that it worries the engineer just a bit, gently nudging him with his shoulder. 

“You okay there, angel cake?”

Silence is his momentary response. Then he's sniffling. And then he's crying again, more tears pouring out of already irritated hazel optics. 

“I thought she was going to die…” he managed after a moment, feeling an arm encircle him, pulling him into a strong chest. 

“Nope. You're just a cat grandpa now!”

The hacker started sobbing harder, and Elliott just laughed, his other arm moving to wrap around him and pull him close, letting him cry into his chest instead. 

“Oh, honey, it's okay!” Elliott pressed a kiss to the top of his head, a hand rubbing along the column of his spine. Gentle, adoring, reassuring—rarely failed to make him feel better. “We can be cat grandpas together. Watch ‘em grow up, spoil the shit out of them, tell them to get out of our hair, give them the best Christmas presents ever…”

That got a quiet laugh from the hacker. “So, what we already do with my cat?”

“Yup! Except now we do it four times more and with kitties who aren't spoiled princesses.”

“Mm… Okay.” Another sniffle. 

“Also, we're totally finding the douchebag who knocked her up and left.” He looked over to the new mother, who tiredly returned his gaze. “Who did it!? Whose ass am I kicking!? How  _ dare _ they do this to you!?”

There was a snort from the man in his arms, trying to suppress his laughter. “You're ridiculous.”

“No. I just love my family a bunch.” Another kiss was delivered to the top of Park’s head. “I'll beat up anyone who hurts you guys.”

Another snort. “You would beat up someone for my cats?”

“Oh, definitely. You underestimate how much I love you all—annoying cats that steal my food included.”

“Mm. I love you too.”

“Makin’ me tear up, babe. Anyway, bedtime for you. Us. Everyone gets to sleep.”

He just received a nod, the two now moving to where Park’s bed was. The hacker laid down first, followed by Elliott, who tossed off his clothes, down to his boxers, and wiggled in behind the smaller of the two. With arms wrapped around Park, Elliott moved to whisper a “goodnight” into his ear, letting them both fall into a peaceful slumber. 

Which would be ruined the next morning by loud mewls and an annoying mother cat batting at their faces with her paw. 

**Author's Note:**

> Although I haven't been a perfect participant (I have much more to post and I'll get to those eventually), I've had a blast getting to write about and see content for the ship I've grown so attached to. I hope you've all enjoyed the content and maybe I'll try posting more frequently!! We'll see!!


End file.
